Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among individuals with hepatitis B virus infection identified using an automated data algorithm

Potential of antiviral drug oseltamivir for the treatment of liver cancer

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer‑related mortality globally. Since hepatitis virus infections have been strongly associated with the incidence of liver cancer, studies concerning the effects of antiviral drugs on liver cancer have attracted great attention in recent years. The present study investigated the effects of two anti‑hepatitis virus drugs, lamivudine and ribavirin, and one anti‑influenza virus drug, oseltamivir, on liver cancer cells to assess alternative methods for treating liver cancer. MTT assays, wound healing assays, Τranswell assays, flow cytometry, immunoblotting, ELISA, immunofluorescence staining and a xenograft animal model were adopted to verify the effects of lamivudine, ribavirin and oseltamivir on liver cancer cells. Treatment with ribavirin and oseltamivir for 24 and 48 h significantly decreased the viability of both Huh-7 and HepG2 cells compared with that of THLE‑3 cells in a dose‑dependent manner. The subsequent investigations focused on oseltamivir, considering the more serious clinical adverse effects of ribavirin than those of oseltamivir. Significantly decreased migration and invasion were observed in both Huh-7 and HepG2 cells that were treated with oseltamivir for 24 and 48 h. In addition, oseltamivir significantly increased autophagy in Huh‑7 cells, as revealed by the significantly higher ratios of LC3‑II/LC3‑I, increased expression of Beclin‑1, and decreased expression of p62, whereas no significant increases in the expression of apoptosis‑related proteins, including Apaf‑1, cleaved caspase‑3, and cleaved PARP‑1, were detected. Notably, apoptosis and autophagy were significantly increased in HepG2 cells in the presence of oseltamivir, as revealed by the significant increases in the expression of Apaf‑1, cleaved caspase‑3, and cleaved PARP‑1, the higher ratios of LC3‑II/LC3‑I, the increased expression of Beclin‑1, and the decreased expression of p62. Additionally, significant inhibitory effects of oseltamivir on xenografted Huh‑7 cells in athymic nude mice were observed. The present study, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, reported the differential effects of oseltamivir on inducing liver cancer cell death both in vitro and in vivo and may provide an alternative approach for treating liver cancer.

Addressing the worldwide hepatocellular carcinoma: epidemiology, prevention and management

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world with rising incidence. Globally, there has been substantial variation in prevalence of risk factors for HCC over years, like control of viral hepatitis in developing countries but growing epidemic of fatty liver disease in developed world. Changing epidemiology of HCC is related to trends in these risk factors. HCC remains asymptomatic until it is very advanced which makes early detection by surveillance important in reducing HCC related mortality. Management of HCC. depends on stage of the tumor and severity of underlying liver disease. At present, resection and transplant are still the best curative options for small HCC, but recent advances in locoregional therapy and molecular targeted systemic therapy has changed the management for HCC at intermediate and advanced stages. This review is overview of global epidemiology, prevention, surveillance and emerging therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Engineering α-fetoprotein-based gene vaccines to prevent and treat hepatocellular carcinoma: review and future prospects

Activation of a patient's immune system offers an attractive approach to prevent and treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the antitumor efficacy of current HCC vaccines was weak owing to insufficient immune activation of targeting self/tumor antigens. We recently found that epitope-optimized α-fetoprotein effectively activated CD8 T cells and generated potent antitumor effects in the carcinogen-induced autochthonous HCC mouse model. We predict that the same antigen engineering approach of epitope-optimization will enable us to develop effective human vaccines to prevent HCC recurrence after liver resection. The engineered human HCC vaccines may also allow us to identify high-affinity T-cell receptors and antibodies that can be used to reprogram T cells to treat HCC tumors via adoptive transfer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: current trends in worldwide epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and therapeutics

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy in developing countries and its incidence is on the rise in the developing world. The epidemiology of this cancer is unique since its risk factors, including hepatitis C and B, have been clearly established. The current trends in the shifting incidence of HCC in different regions of the world can be explained partly by the changing prevalence of hepatitis. Early detection offers the only hope for curative treatment for patients with HCC, hence effective screening strategies for high-risk patients is of utmost importance. Liver transplantation and surgical resection remains the cornerstone of curative treatment. But major advances in locoregional therapies and molecular-targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced HCC have occurred recently. In this review, current trends in the worldwide epidemiology, surveillance, diagnosis, standard treatments, and the emerging therapies for HCC are discussed.

Factors predicting the efficacy of adefovir dipivoxil on treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients at 48 weeks

Background/Aims

To reveal possible factors predicting the effect of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and optimize the utilization of ADV.

Methods

In total, 168 treatment-naïve CHB patients were enrolled, including 117 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients and 51 HBeAg-negative patients who met the inclusion criteria. All patients were treated with ADV 10 mg per day for 48 weeks. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to investigate baseline factors, and responses at weeks 12 and 24 were analyzed as predictive values.

Results

Multiple regression analyses showed that baseline HBeAg status and HBV DNA levels significantly affected the virological response (VR) (p<0.05), baseline ALT levels were an independent predictor of serological response (SR) (p<0.05) and the body mass index (BMI) may affect the biochemical response (BR) (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the VR and SR between patients with a primary nonresponse (PNR) at week 12 and those with a VR at week 12 (p<0.01). Additionally, the VR was significantly different between patients with HBV DNA lower than 10³ copies/mL at week 24 and those with greater than 10³ copies/mL (p<0.01).

Conclusions

Patients with negative HBeAg, lower HBV DNA levels and higher ALT values at baseline are more suitable for ADV treatment, whereas patients with lower BMIs may be more amenable to ALT normalization. Adjustments for treatment strategy should be considered if PNR at week 12 or HBV DNA ≥10³ copies/mL at week 24 is observed.

Thymosin alpha 1: biological activities, applications and genetic engineering production

Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1), a 28-amino acid peptide, was first described and characterized from calf thymuses in 1977. This peptide can enhance T-cell, dendritic cell (DC) and antibody responses, modulate cytokines and chemokines production and block steroid-induced apoptosis of thymocytes. Due to its pleiotropic biological activities, Tα1 has gained increasing interest in recent years and has been used for the treatment of various diseases in clinic. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for the production of this peptide. So far, Tα1 used in clinic is synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis. Here, we summarize the genetic engineering methods to produce Tα1 using prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression systems. The effectiveness of these biological products in increasing the secretion of cytokines and in promoting lymphocyte proliferation were investigated in vitro studies. This opens the possibility for biotechnological production of Tα1 for the research and clinical applications.